Thomas Stronen - Time Is a Blind Guide - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Thomas Stronen - Parish [COMPACT DISCS] Spain - Import date 03/14/2006

After the recordings dedicated to the rediscovery of Ulisse Matthey's works for organ and harmonium (Tactus tc 871390 and tc 871380), the Italian organist Fausto Caporali on this double CD plays the role of the composer. The recording project sees the collaboration of Italian and Spanish musicians with the involvement of the choirs of the cathedral of Malaga, of the famous «cantaor de Flamenco» Francisco Javier Sánchez Bandera (Bonela Hijo), and of musicians of the Cathedral of Cremona, among which the Caporali himself. The first CD is entirely dedicated to the Via Crucis, the re-enactment of the journey taking Jesus to the cross through the traditional fourteen stations, while the second CD contains two sacred cantatas dedicated to Saints Paola and Ciriaco, patron saints of Malaga, and to Santa Maria della Vittoria, also protector of the city since the conquest in 1487 by King Fernando the Catholic.

There's a rare acoustic alchemy at play in Time Is A Blind Guide. At times, the group's three string instruments make up a firm trio-unit that enters into thoughtful dialog with piano and percussion, but for the most part, the group's pulse works as a whole, with each instrument dynamically gliding in and out of the picture, captured in well-known acoustics of Rainbow Studio. The album, recorded at Rainbow Studio, Oslo in 2021, and mixed in Munich in 2024, was produced by Manfred Eicher.